Railroad-cbossing



NSCHIARIZZ.

RAILROAD CROSSING. APPLICATION msn FEB. 28, 1919. 1,323,411. j Patented De0.2,'1919.

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l v APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28| l9l9. 1 ,323,41 Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

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RAILROAD CROSSINGL APPLICATION man FEB.28,1919.

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UNiTED STATES PATENTDFICE.

s' NICHOLAS SCHIARIZZI, OF ST. PAUII'J', MINNESOTA.

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To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS SoHlARIz-zr, y

a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented new andl useful Improvements in Railroad-Crossings, of which the following is a speciication.

' This invention relates to an improvement in automatic gates designed particularly for the protection of railway crossings, and is directed to a gate of this type wherein the travel of the train will control the lowering and raising of the ate.

It is important t at gates of this type be designed to operate when necessary without failure, and where an automatic system can be devised to properly actuate the gate in both directions, to eliminate the human element, a more eective protection is assured.

The present gate is designed to operate through electrically controlled instrumentalities, and the current control therefore governed by the passage of the train, so that the train in approaching a protected cross- .ing will automatically lower the gate, and after passing such crossing y.will automatically raise the gate.

`The improved gate ismounted for vertical sliding movement, and to be raised by a motor, means being provided whereby the gate is locked in elevated position. The

locking means, which is electrically con-` trolled, is released following a predetermined interval-after the train enters the block,l so that the gate is released to fall by gravity. The motor is energized following the passage of the train from the block, an

acts forV a certain time to raise the gate, when the motor circuit is-broken, and the gate locked in elevated position, for a subse-J quent operation.

The invention is illustrated in the ac-l companying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the improved gate. y l

Y Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the main housing, showingV the arrangementof the` gate frames.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section' on theline 3 3 of Fig-1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the cut-out.

Fig. 5 is a plan df the lock for holding the ate in elevated position. F1g. 6 is a side view of the same.

, rig. 7 is a View ,of the ameswih fdr energizing the electric lock speieation f Letter Patent.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view cuits for the system.

connected to the cable 111.

The improved gate structure is to be ar p ,Patented Dee. 2.1919. applicati@ mea February 2s, 191e. serial No. 279,718. p I

of the cir-p ranged adjacent a crossing to protect the 1 same during the passage of a train, and

preferablyacomprises two upright housings 1, at each side of the crossing, and if desired duplicated on each side of the track. These housings are of narrow cross-section, and of the desiredj height, and one of them has -an`enlar'ged base portion in the form of a housing 2, in which the necessary aut0 matic instrumentalities may be arranged for convenientyinspection and repair.

Supported within each housing 1, is an upright guide 3, preferably circular in cross section, and adapted for vertical travel on these guides are gate frames 4, comprising uprights 5, having grooved rollers 6, for travel on the guides 3, and horizontal bars 7 projecting from the uprights 5, and

through slotted ways 8 in the inner walls of the housings 1. yThe inner terminals o@ the bars 7 are connected by any desired form of detail structure to complete the gate.

'The upper ends of the guides 3v are provided with supports 9, carrying pulleys 10,

over which cables 11 areftrained f to the iupper ends of the uprights 5, the cables 11 extending beyond the pulley 10 toward the housing 2, as a single member. Each cable 11, adjacent its connection with. the gate frame, isv providedwith a spring compensator 12 .to avoid breakage ofthe cable; Ihese compensators are of'ordinary type, involving a casing 13, closed at both ends,

" and having a coiled spring 14 therein, bear@ ing between one end of the casing and a disk 15. The cable 11 passes through the.

casing, and is provided beyond the disk 15 and'toward the gate frame, with a stop element 16, to prevent passage of the cable through the disk beyond a certain point. A

slack in thecable may be housed`- in thev casing when the spring is normally extended, sozthat when the pull comes upon the cable to raise the te, the initial strain is taken up by the spring.` Bumper springs 16 are arranged below the ends of the rights 5 of the ateframes, to cushion suc frames when allowed to drop by gravity.

Arranged in the 'housing 2 is a. motor 17, geared to a winding drum 18, over which atter the cables, 11 ,are wound. An electrithe piston 29, when reaching the limit of cally-operated lock 19 'is arranged in the' upper portion ofthe housing 2, and comprises a base 20, on which is mounted a iXed blocks, and after passing below the same is' prevented from moving in the opposite direction by the blocks, as will be evident. The movable block 23 is operated against the tension of, the spring 25, vby a solenoid or the like 26, which when energized will move the block 23/rom 'the block 21, and permhJ the passage therebetween of the member 24, to thus allow the gate to fall `by gravity.

lt will be understood that if the system, as is here shown, is to be utilized in connection with the usual block protection, it is not necessary that the gate be permitted to fall immediately -the train enters the .bloclr To prevent operation of the lock to lrel-ease the gate until a predetermined period has followed 'the entry of the train into the block, there is provided a time switch 27, hereby shown as acasing having,

avpiston moving as a dashpot, and thereby requiring an appreciable interval of time' to travel the length oi the casing. ,A solenoid 28 holds the dashpot piston 29 elevated so long as such solenoid remains energized when the solenoid is deenergized its free travel closing a switch 30 to the solenoid 26 oithe electric lock.

A relay 31 is arranged in the housing 2, in circuit with the respective rails 32 of v the track at one end of the block, a battery 33 bridging the rails at the other end of the block. The armature 34 oi the relay engages a contact 35 when such relay is energized, and a back contact 36 when the relay is denergized. rlhe armature is -in circuit with one of the servicedeads, as 37, while' the forward contact 35 forms the terminal of a conductor 38. rlhe back contact 36 forms the terminal of a conductor f 39, which together with a conductor 40 connected to the other service lead 41, forms a circuit having therein a second relay 42, a horn orv other audible signal 43, and a light 44, also 'serving as a signal. The armature of the second relay 42 is in circuit with service lead 37, and there is 'rovided a back contact 45 for'this relay, w ich leads through conductor 46 to a lock 'solenoid 60, and thencethrough conductor 46 to serviceiead 41. The lock solenoid 60 has its armature 61 spring in'uenced in an outward direction, and on the outer end of the said armature is held a holding arm 62. The connection between the arm and the armature is in the nature of a rule joint, and the arm 62 is operated by the armature 29 of the solenoid 28. T he armature 6l thus holds'the arm 62 in one position until the solenoid 60 is energized to withdraw the sai-d armature., rlllhe switch 30 is connected on Vone side to service lead 41, through conductor 41', and on the other side through conductor 47, through solenoid 26, and to the service lead 37. The motor is in circuit with conductor 38 and service lead 41. rlhis circuit is preferably made through a cutout 48, involving a switch ci any ordinary type, having a weight operated handle 49. The handled is engaged by a trip arm 50 on the appropriate gate frame when the gate has reached the desired point of elevation, and the circuit cut, the loweringof the gate permitting the weighted handle to close the switch.,

From the above description it will be apparent that when the train enters the block,

the relay 31 will be short circuited, and the armature thereof will drop onto the bach contact. rlhis will sound the horn, light the light, and energize relay 42. The latter 'closes the circuit tosolenoid 6() and the time switch is putin operation. After a predetermined l i,nter'val,l the switch 30' closes, and the electric lock is opened, and the gate "permitted to fall by gravity. As the train -leaves the block, the circuit or relay 31 is restored, and the armature en gages kthe forward contact. rl`he horn and light, as well as relay 42 are cut out. ri'he armature oi relay 31 through its front contact, energizes the solenoid of the time switch, and such switch is again set, opening switch 30. The electric lock is thus sprin held to receive the locking member 24. he motor is energized, and operates the drum to raise the gate, the operation of the motor continuing until the cut-out 48 isoperated by the gate.

Having thus described the invention, 'what is claimed as new, is

1. A railway crossing gate, comprising a sliding gate structure, a motor for raising the gate, a lock for holding the gate raised, electrically-operated means for releasing the lock, and a time switch for said means.

2. A railway crossing gate, comprising a sliding gate structure,- a motor for raising lthe gate', a lock for holding the gate raised,

energized, a lock for the gate when raised, controlled through the forward contact, a electric means for releasing the lock, and lock for the gate, a time element for operata time switch for said means controlled by ing the lock to release the gate, and means said second relay. governing the time element and controlled l. A railway crossing gate comprising a through the back contact of the track relay. gate structure, a motor for raising the same, 'In testimony whereof I affix my signature. a normally energized track relay having forward and khack contacts, a motor circuit NICHOLASv SCHlAlc'tIZZI.` 

